=

7/31/17 The ACLU won a case after a judge blocked a 2014 "parental consent law" that required the state to appoint a lawyer to represent any fetus being carried by a minor in cases where a minor tried to go to court to get permission to get an abortion. The law also allowed a minor's parents to challenge the court permission, which could delay the abortion long enough for the minor to be unable to get it.[4]

HB 50 would restrict police use of deadly force to only be used in response to the threat of death or serious physical injury. Existing state law allows deadly force to be used to make felony arrests, whether or not such a threat exists.

HB 54 Requires police to undergo 40 hours of Crisis Intervention Training to learn how to interact with people who have mental illness.

SB 16 would give juries the final say on whether someone convicted of a capital crime is sentenced to life in prison or death.

HB 74 would prohibit discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and gender identity.

HB 332 / SB 141 would prohibit discrimination in employment on the basis of sexual orientation or gender identity, among other criteria.

Harmful Legislation
Harmful bills proposed by Alabama lawmakers this legislative session that should be opposed:

SB 25 creates restrictions and limitations for private citizens to sue non-profits that work for Alabama Public Housing Authorities.

SB 1 is a "light bathroom bill" that would make it mandatory to have attendants in every public bathroom used by people of different genders. The bill does not define the meaning of gender in that case.

If there is a full repeal of the Affordable Care Act, 189,000 people in Alabama (or 3.9% of the population) are estimated to lose coverage, whereas 357,000 people (or 7.3% of the population) will lose coverage with a partial repeal. (Retrieved 1/22/2017 from ACA Repeal Impact, state-by-state.) This is because with a full repeal, premiums will not increase the way they would under a partial repeal, since insurance companies will be able to discriminate on the basis of preexisting conditions and won't be required to provide essential health benefits.[10] Not covering preexisting conditions will disproportionately affect people with disabilities. The reason that so few people stand to lose coverage in Alabama is because the state government, for political reasons, did not take the free money offered to it by the federal government to help expand Medicaid to more of its low-income citizens.[11] This decision also disproportionately disadvantaged Black citizens.[12]

Prior to the ACA's ban on gender rating, women in Alabama paid up to 53% more for the same coverage as men;[13] an ACA repeal is likely to bring back that coverage gap.

Given that a repeal of the ACA would also change payment structures and subsidies, 28,000 jobs could be lost in Alabama. When federal funding is cut, it creates a ripple effect that affects local and state revenue, thus creating losses in economic activity and employment.[14]

Under the ACA Repeal-and-Delay Strategy, Young Adults in Alabama Could Pay $922 More in 2018.[15]

Alabama does not allow undocumented immigrants to get drivers' licenses.[20]

Alabama bars undocumented immigrants from attending public college at the same in-state tuition rate as legal residents and citizens.[21]

In 2012 President Barack Obama signed an executive order (DACA) that defers deportation for people who were brought to the country as children. The action allows them to work lawfully but does not create a pathway to citizenship or give them legal status in the United States. In Alabama, 6,796 individuals have benefited from this executive action.[22]

In 2016, Alabama was one of 14 states that enacted new voting restrictions in the form of a law requiring a photo ID to vote.[30] Alabama is one of several states that introduced legislation to allow automatic voter registration, but the bills died in committee.[31]

The 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that inmate Vernon Madison can't be executed due to incompetence. The appellate court first sent the case back due to race-based jury selection and improper testimony. [33]

In 2015, an average of 417,943 households and 889,380 individuals received Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called Food Stamps) benefits in a given month in Alabama.[35] In 2011, approximately 19% of the population of Alabama was receiving Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly called Food Stamps) benefits.[36] The average monthly benefit per Alabama household was $261 per household and $121 per person in 2016. [37]

In 2016, an average of 25,772 households, including 11,239 families and 20,315 children, received Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF), which is direct financial assistance, in a given month. [38] The average monthly benefit for a single-parent with three children residing in Alabama was $215 per month in 2014. [39] Average benefits in Alabama have fallen in value by 14% since 1996. [40]

In 2016, an average of 31,905 women received funds from the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) in a given month. [41]

In December 2015, there were 9,004 Social Security recipients in the "aged" category[42] who received $260.33 per person on average, for a total of $2,344,000.[43]

In Alabama, 18.3% of women live in poverty, which is approximately 5% over the national average, which stands at 13.4%. Single mothers make up 47.7%, while women aged 65 and older make up 11.9%. These figures are above the national averages, which are 36.5% and 10.3%, respectively.

For every dollar made by men, women are paid $0.76, which is four cents below the national average of $0.80.

African American women are paid $0.57 for every dollar paid to white men, while Latina women make $0.47 for every dollar made by white men. Both figures are below the national averages, which are $0.63 and $0.54, respectively.

Religious Freedom laws protect the right of people to practice their religion and limit laws imposing on that right, and were intended to protect religious minorities. [61] A religious freedom amendment was enacted in Alabama for that purpose in 1998[62], but it has been recently used to say the rights of individuals or business owners are violated if they are not allowed to deny service to LGBTQ+ people.

Alabama also lacks non-discrimination laws protecting LGBTQ+ people from discrimination in parenting, laws including second parent adoption, surrogacy, foster care, parental presumption for same-sex couples, consent to inseminate, and de facto parent recognition.[64] In March 2017 the state passed a law letting religious adoption agencies discriminate against same-sex parents.[65]

Alabama does not have non-discrimination laws protecting the health and safety of its LGBTQ+ citizens, including non-discrimination protections in the ACA exchanges, a ban on insurance exclusions for trans health care, trans-inclusive health benefits for state employees, gender marker change on identification documents, health data collection, or gender neutral single occupancy restrooms.[69]

Alabama does have laws that discriminate against LGBTQ+ people in ensuring their health and safety, such as sodomy laws and laws that criminalize HIV/AIDS.[70]

Alabama is ranked 42nd in per-pupil spending as of 2013, with an average expenditure of $5,031 per student.[71]

As of 2013, Alabama ranked 38th in teacher pay, with teachers earning an average of $47,949 per year.[72]

88% of students in Alabama attend public schools. As is the case in other states, students who attend private schools come from wealthier families, with private-school families having on average a 71% higher income.[73]

As of 2014, public charter school enrollment accounted for 0% of total public school enrollment.[74]

Alabama's overall graduation rate is 86%, which is slightly above the national average. By subgroup, four-year graduation rates are as follows:

Alabama has Right-to-Work laws, which means that the state can prohibit unions, that collectively bargain on behalf of both members and nonmembers, from requiring union fees for the services they provide to all workers they represent. They are designed to reduce unions' income and power.[80]

Alabama is a state with an at-will exemption.[81] At-will means that an employer can terminate an employee at any time for any reason, except an illegal one, or for no reason, without breaking the law.[34] Likewise, an employee is free to leave a job at any time for any or no reason, with no adverse legal consequences.[82]

Alabama does not support a public policy exemption,[83] meaning that an employer may not fire an employee if it would violate the state's public policy doctrine or a state or federal statute, including refusing to perform an act that state law prohibits (e.g., refusing an employer's request to commit perjury at a trial), reporting a violation of the law (e.g., reporting an employer's fraudulent accounting practices or use of child labor), engaging in acts that are in the public interest (joining the National Guard or performing jury duty), and exercising a statutory right (e.g., filing a claim under the state workers' compensation law).[84]

Alabama does allow for implied contract exemptions.[85] An implied contract can be created in several different ways: oral assurances by a supervisor or handbooks, policies, or practices as written assurances by the employer. This means that if there is no written contract between the employer and employee, that employee may have an exception of fixed term or even indefinite employment based on an employer's statements.[86] As a general rule, courts disregard language promising long-term, lifetime, or permanent employment as aspirational and consider the relationship to be at-will.[87]

Alabama does support the Implied Covenant of Good Faith and Fair Dealing.[88] Courts have interpreted this in different ways, including requiring just cause for termination to prohibiting terminations made in bad faith or motivated by malice.[89]

In February 2017, EPA awarded a $1.09 million Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA) grant to the Gees Bend Ferry in Wilcox County, AL. [98] This grant to the Alabama Department of Transportation would convert the ferry to battery-electric power and upgrade shore power connections. [99] DERA grants reduce nitrogen oxides (NOx) pollution from old diesel engines. However, the administration’s proposed cuts to EPA would eliminate the DERA program. [100] The DERA program has previously enjoyed bipartisan support in Congress. In 2016, the GOP-controlled Congress reauthorized the program with annual funding of $100 million. [101]

In May 2016, EPA awarded two grants to Alabama cities to assess, clean up, and redevelop contaminated properties. [102] The City of Birmingham was awarded a $400,000 community-wide assessment grant. The City of Tarrant was awarded a $200,000 cleanup grant for the Tarrant Industrial Complex. Both grants were issued through the EPA’s Brownfield Program. [103] EPA Administrator Scott Pruitt has called the Brownfield Program “essential” [104], and it does not appear to be targeted by the administration’s proposed cuts to EPA.

Alabama has the fourth-highest percentage of disabled people in America: 16.7% of Alabama's residents are disabled, compared with the national average of 12.6%.[2015 US Census American Community Survey, Table R1810]

Alabamans with disabilities have the fourth-lowest employment rate in the country, at 27.9%, compared to the national average of 34.9%. People without disabilities in Alabama have a 71% employment rate.[2015 US Census American Community Survey, Table R1811]

Approximately 19.1% of eligible voters in Alabama have one or more disabilities, compared to a national average of 15.71%.[105]

In 2013-14, the number of people with disabilities living the community in Alabama rose 2.5%, while the national average fell 0.5%.[Comparison of 2014 and 2015 US Census American Community Survey, Table R1810]

Of adults with disabilities in Alabama, 31.2% live in poverty, as opposed to 15.9% of non-disabled adults.[2015 US Census American Community Survey, Table B23024] The poverty rate for disabled children under 5 is 52.5%, as opposed to 31.0% for non-disabled children.[2015 US Census American Community Survey, Table B18130)

In Alabama, 6.7% of adults between 18 and 64 receive SSI (Supplemental Security Income), compared to the national average of 5.4%.[Calculation based on 2015 US Census American Community Survey, Table B19056]